2008 Latour
By Chateau Latour
2008 Latour from Chateau Latour, Pauillac, Bordeaux
Embarking on a vintage assessment brings us to the 2008 Latour from Chateau Latour, unequivocally an assemblage for connoisseurs and serious investors alike. This was a year where anticipation was rooted in cautious optimism, only to be rewarded by a harvest that skillfully dodged meteorological pitfalls.
Combining Elegance with Endurance
Tasting the 2008 Latour is akin to encountering a seasoned diplomat: it offers an eloquent articulation of Pauillac’s terroir with an undercurrent of strength belying its polite exterior. Despite the financial tumult concurrent with its birth, this claret exhibits a tenacious grip suggesting prosperous longevity, thus marking an advantageous addition to any investment portfolio.
The Temperamental Vintage's Triumph
The growing season of 2008 posed true challenge—capriciously swinging from damp and cool to dry and sunny. However, the dexterity of Chateau Latour's viticultural team turned climatic trials into a masterly stroke of vinous charm. The later harvest allowed a complete phenolic maturity, resulting in a wine of remarkable structure and depth.
The 2008 vintage reveals itself with a brooding nose of smouldering embers paired with the dark berry compote, seductively veiled by touches of cedar and pencil shavings. A palate replete with well-integrated tannins gives longevity, while the impeccably balanced acidity sustains a refined freshness amid serious density.
The narrative arc of this wine's evolution is far from reaching its denouement; serious collectors should indeed anticipate further chapters of complexity. As I contemplate the structured finesse of this 2008 Latour from Chateau Latour, I am reminded that some vintages resonate with patience's virtue and imbues foresight amongst investors seeking wines with promise of maturation and reward.Market price (CAD)
$8,371.43
12x75cl
Highest score
95
POP score
335.33
Scores and tasting notes
Gorgeous aromas. Sandalwood and flowers, so perfumed and beautiful. Spices and currants with cassis too. Amazing nose. Such beauty and density with an iron and pure fruit character. Solid and racy. Best after 2015.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, December 20th 2010
An extraordinary wine, the classic 2008 Latour (13.5% natural alcohol) is composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc (40% of the production made it into the grand vin). Its dense purple color is followed by hints of espresso roast, cassis, burning embers, truffles and graphite. Rich with full-bodied power, beautiful purity and graciousness allied to a voluminous, savory, broad mouthfeel, this beauty will be drinkable in 4-5 years and will keep for three decades.
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #194 May 2011
Composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 0.75% Cabernet Franc and 0.25% Petit Verdot, the 2008 Latour gives a medium to deep garnet color and slips sensuously out of the glass with Chinese five spice, unsmoked cigars, sandalwood and dried roses scents over a core of warm cassis, Black Forest cake, chocolate mint and smoked meats plus a waft of black olives and garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is well-sustained in the middle with generous black fruits and lovely red fruit sparks, layered with savory nuances and a firm, grainy backbone, finishing with bags of perfume and freshness.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 18 April 2019
Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. The Latour 2008 has a reserved, slightly tertiary bouquet that if aristocratic and rather aloof compared to say, Lafite 2008. Yet it has immense focus and tension, mineral-laden blackberry, graphite and cassis. The palate is full-bodied with firm, slightly chewy tannins that will take some considerable time to soften. Clean and crisp with unerring symmetry, yet somehow uncompromising and far less generous than say, the 2009. This will require a couple of decades in the cellar, when that embryonic generosity that is demonstrated in barrel will spring forth. Tasted January 2012.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Mar 2012